Mole-trap.



J. C. BAKKER.

MOLB TRAP.

Arrmouxon FILED Dnc. 12. 1911.

1,081,229. Patented July' 2, 1912.

COLUMBIA VLANQGRAPII CO.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

v sides of the blade is a proportion,

JOSEPH C. BARKER, OF OBLONG, ILLINOIS.

MOLE-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Application filed December 12, 1911. Serial No. 665,361.

To all whom 'it may concern: f

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. BAKKER, citizen of the United States,residing at Oblong, in the county of Crawford and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mole Traps, ofwhich the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to animal traps and more particularly to thatclass of devices known as mole traps.

It is the purpose of the invention to provide a mole trap, theconstruction of which is such as to insure ease and cheapness in itsmanufacture, and durability and strength and efficiency in use.

The main object of the invention is the provision of a simple mole traphaving depending spring actuated impaling prongs operated in a novelmanner through coacting plates disposed above the path of the quarry-oneach side of the trap.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description,it being understood .that various changes in the form,

and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope ofthe appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof,reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved moletrap. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the trap. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe upper portion of the trap, the prongs being in a raised position andthe parts slightly broken away to show the construction of the lockingmechanism.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the saine reference characters.

For the purpose of illustration, the improved mole trap of thisinvention is shown isposed above a mole burrow A. The device includes ananchoring member, preferably in the form of a blade portion 1 adapted toenter the ground and act as a support to the trap, said blade being cutaway at 2 to form a recess so as not to obstruct the burrow A.

Spanningthe recess 2 and connecting the bridge 3 pierced by guidingapertures 4 through which pass impaling prongs 5, which latter aresecured to a bar 6 disposed above the bridge. The prongs 5 are adaptedto operate within the recess 2. A frame or yoke embodying spaced,upwardly diverging arms 7 connected at their upper terminals by atransverse bar 8, is secured to the blade 1 on each side of the recess2, the lower end of each arm being preferably bifurcated as at 7a so asto embrace the blade 1, and the bar 8 of the yoke being constructedrefcrably of two spaced members between which the arms 7 are secured. Aguide rod 9 is rigidly attached to the bar 6 and passes upwardly betweenthe sides of the bar 8, being secured in the center thereof bytransverse pins 10 disposed on each side of the rod.

A coiled spring 11 encircles the rod 9 and is rigidly secured thereto atits lower end, the upper end thereof being attached to the bar 8 sothatthe spring tends to depress the rod 9 to which the prongs 5 areconnected until the bar 6 strikes against the bridge 3 at which time theprongs have pierced the burrow A. The intervention of the bridge 3 atthis point in the movement of the prongs prevents the latter fromstriking the lower portion of the blade 1 and becoming chilled thereby.The prongs may be raised and the trap set by raising the rod 9 againstthe tension of the spring which is readily done by drawing up on atransverse pin 12 extending through the upper end of the rod to afford ahand-hold during this act.

In order to retain the trap in a set position at which time the coils ofthe spring 11 bear against the bar 8, an angular locking lever 13 cutaway at 18 to accommodate the adjacent pin 10 is pivoted at 14; betweenthe sides of the bar 8, engages a notch 15 in the adjacent side of therod 9 and is held in engagement thercwithand in depressed position by apivoted angular catch 16 having an overhanging lip 16, said catch beingmounted between the sides of the bar 8 outside of the adjacent arm 7,the bar being eX- tended for this purpose.

A tripping mechanism is adapted to be operated by the quarry from eitherside of' the trap and embodies an actuating yoke preferably formed oftwo spaced members or plates 17 which are disposed above the upper wallof the burrow A, said plates being connected preferably by upwardlycurved angular rods 18 and 18a which are joui-- naled at their midportions, the rod 18 directlyv to theV adjacent rod 7 above the blade 1,the rod 18a on a pin 19 intermediate the ends thereof, said pin being inturn pivoted for vertical movement to the rod 7 which is adjacent to thecatch 16, the pivoted end of said pin being preferably disposed betweenthe bifurcations of the adjacent rod 7. The free end of the pin 19 ispierced by an aperture 2O in which is slidably mounted a 'connect-ingrod 21, the upper end of whichis pivoted to the lower end of the catch16, the lower end of the rod 21 being provided with a stop shoulder 22bearing against the pin 19 and spaced from the extremity of the rod sothat the rod may have slight movement independently of the pin 19 andthus permit the catch 16 to readily engage the lever 13. It will here benoted that the upper end of the rod 21 further acts as a stop to preventthe catch 16 from entering' the space between the sides of the bar 8since the terminal of said rod is preferably angularly disposed andpassed through said catch, thus holding the catch in an operativeposition.

In using the device the supporting blade 1 is forced into thekground sothat the burrow A passes through the recess 2 and one o-f the plates 17presses down on the upper wall of the burrow on each side of the trap.The rod 9 carrying the prongs 5 is then raised against the tension ofthe spring 11 and the not-ch 15 is engaged by the inner end of the lever13 which is thereafter secured in this engagement by the catch 16.

Now it will be seen that when the quarry in passing through the burrowattempts to go under either of the plates 17, said plate will be raisedand the other plate acts as a fulcrum so that the pin 19 is pivotedupwardly and strikes the shoulder 22 of the connecting rod 21, whichlat-ter in turn pivots the catch 16 about its axis and the lever 13 isthereby released.` The tension of the spring 11 now forcibly drives theprongs 5 downwardly and the animal is impaled thereon.

It will here be noted that the spring 11 is mounted in the yoke withoutthe use of solder, screws or other fastening devices, the upper terminalof the spring being passed through both portions of the bar 8 and thelower terminal being passed through an aperture in the rod 9.

It is desired to particularly direct the attent-ion to the manner ofmounting the rods 18 and 18a, the former being loosely pivoted to theadjacent portion of the frame.

the rod 18a being loosely mounted upon the pin 19 so as to adjust itselfthereon with the movement of said pin. It will also be noted that theportion of the blade or anchoring member adjacent to the pin 19 acts asa stop thereto and prevents said pin from becoming disengaged from theconnecting rod 21, and the upper end of said rod constitutes a ,thebroken down top rods 7 are attached to the blade 1 outside ofi the endsof the bridge Sand thus insure the retention of the latter in its properposition.

Although the device is here shown with two prongs, it is ofcourse 'tovbe understood that a plurality of prongs attached to the bar 6 would inno wise alter the op` eration of the device.

Vhen the trap is in position about a mole passageway the top wall of thepassageway is first broken down and the plates 17 are positioned so thatthey are spaced for a distance of about one inch from the said brokendown wall of the passageway. As the animal comes through the passagewayin either direction it will force up the top wall of the passageway sothat it comes in contact with one of the plates and moves the same in anupward direction lso that the other 'plate is brought down in contactwith wall of the passageway. As the animal completes the repair of thebroken down wall of the passageway, it arrives at the other plate 17 andswings the same in an upward direction, but by reason of the fact thatthe plate17 which has first been elevated is now resting upon the-topwall of the passageway the said wall serves as a fulcrum and the rod18@L is then converted into a lever which lifts the free end portion ofthe pin 19 and the trap isk ses iii-5 rib 1. An animal trap comprising arecessed` a frame secured to the anchoring member, a guide rod passingthrough said frame, an impaling member carried by said rod and movablewithin the limits of the recess, a coiled spring enciranchoring member,

cling said rod and adapted to depress the imt paling member, theopposite endsV ofV said spring being secured to the frame and the guiderod, means for holding the rod in elevated position, disposed onopposite sides ofthe trap in and an actuating. 'yoke4 rat ber, a guiderod extending t rough said frame, a spring depressed impaling memberdepending from said rod, means for setting the impaling member in'raisedposition, a tripping mechanism embodying coacting connected membersadapted to be disposed in the path of the quarry and pivoted to theframe, a pin pivoted to the frame and operatively connected with themembers, and means connecting said pin with the setting means.

3. An animal trap including a frame having an anchoring member dependingtherefrom, spring depressed impaling prongs mounted in the frame, apivoted lever secured to the frame and adapted to maintain the prongs inraised position, a catch pivoted to the frame and engageable with thelever, coacting tripping members disposed on each side of the trap andsecured to the frame, and a connecting rod operatively attached to themembers and pivoted to the catch, said rod also constituting a stop toprevent said latch from alining itself with the frame and beyond theradius of engagement with the lever.

4. An animal trap including a frame having an from, spring depressedimpaling prongs mounted in the frame, locking means for securing theprongs in raised position, coacting tripping plates disposed on eachside of ,the trap in the path of the quarry, there being rigidconnections between said plates on each side thereof, one of saidconnections being loosely journaled at its mid portion to the adjacentside of the frame, a transverse pin passing loosely through the midportion of the other connection, said pin being pivoted for verticalmovement to the frame, `and a connecting rod depending from the lockingmeans and assing through an aperture formed in the tree end of the pin,said rod having a stop shoulder for engagementwith the pin when thelatter is pivoted upwardly through the action of the tripping plates.

, In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH C. BAKKER. [Ls] Witnesses:

O. ROY FRANCIS, ROBERT S. COMLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

anchoring member depending there-

